USC Trojans Defensive Struggles Have One Common Denominator

Defensive struggles were the main reason why coach Lincoln Riley’s teams at Oklahoma were never able to get past the College Football Semifinals.

It’s what kept USC out of the College Football Playoff in 2022, Riley’s first season, and why they ultimately wasted their two years with Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch had the Trojans ranked at the bottom of every statistical category.

USC Trojans Defensive Coordinator Gary Patterson Lincoln Riley Big Ten College Football Playoff Schedule D'Anton Lynn — Sep 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley walks off the field after the game against the Oregon Ducks at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Riley pulled D’Anton Lynn away from crosstown rival UCLA in 2024 to be his new defensive coordinator, and not much changed. Toughness and lack of discipline were a long list of other issues that continued to be at the forefront of USC’s defensive struggles during Lynn’s two seasons.

When Lynn left to take the same role with his alma mater, Penn State, Riley made a big move in the offseason by hiring Hall of Fame coach Gary Patterson. The Trojans also made several changes to its defensive staff, most notably hiring linebacker coach Mike Ekeler and safeties coach Paul Gonzales.

And still, five games into the 2026 season, and seemingly nothing has changed about the defensive culture at Southern Cal. If anything, it’s gotten worse.

With three different defensive coordinators during his time at USC and almost a decade as a head coach, there is one common denominator with the defensive struggles under Riley, it's him.

Defensive Struggles in the Big Ten

The scoreboard may have been a little misleading in USC’s first three games this season as the backup and third string players struggled mightily in mop up duties. Depth quickly became a big issue early.

But when the Trojans made the cross-country trip to Rutgers in week 3, it turns out it wasn’t just a depth issue, the entire defense was an issue. They couldn’t slow down a Scarlet Knights offense, who outside of receiver KJ Duff, had not played well against UMass and Boston College.

USC gave up 460 yards of offense to Rutgers in a 42-35 win and had it not been for two bad interceptions by quarterback Dylan Lonergan, including a 99-yard pick-six by safety Prophet Brown, it could have been a different story in New Jersey.

Oregon racked up over 500 yards of offense and hung 41 points on the Trojans. Once again, in year five, it was the same issues under Riley. Third down and red zone defense, discipline, consistent toughness in the trenches, a lack of a pass rush and communication issues in the secondary.

“I didn't think we did a great job tackling them on the night,” Riley said. “We missed some tackles that created some of the explosives as well, so we got to play better. We got to play tighter, and again, it's like some of those clutch downs.

“We had the great goal line stop at the end of the half, which I knew you could just tell how big that was, and I think gave us a kind of shot of momentum going in there at half. But some of the opportunities to get off the field have got to be better there.”

Patterson has been a massive disappointment but at the end of the day it all points back to Riley and the culture under him.

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